Samsung laser printer stands out with a sleek, glossy look
NEW YORK: The laser printers used in homes and small businesses may be compact, reliable performers, but when it comes to looks, they tend to be drab. The appearance of printers has always taken a back seat to their ability to turn out steady streams of text.
Now Samsung has introduced a sleek, low-standing laser printer meant to include good looks along with performance: its case has a dazzling, high-gloss ebony finish reminiscent of a Steinway grand piano. The printer is unusually slim, too. Its components have been miniaturized so that it is only about 5 inches, or 13 centimeters, high.
The printer (model ML-1630, $199) uses black ink only. Introduced last month, it is on sale exclusively at Apple retail stores for three months, and will be widely available afterward. A slightly taller all-in-one version scans and copies as well as prints (SCX-4500, $299). The machines work with both Macintosh and Windows-based computers.
Samsungs innovative design might be a good way for the manufacturer to distinguish itself in a crowded field, said Ken Weilerstein, an analyst at Gartner, the market research firm.
“Theres a lot of competition in personal printers as more vendors have entered the business, most notably Kodak,” Weilerstein said. Eastman Kodak introduced a line of consumer printers earlier this year, joining Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Brother and other brands on the market.
So far in 2007, more than six million printers meant for homes have been shipped to market, Weilerstein said. But in general, the printers are designed more for performance, price and compatibility than looks. Appearance is basically an afterthought, he said.
The Samsung printer comes with a heavy piece of protective plastic over its lid. Peel it off, and there is a black surface that is shiny enough to have come from an Art Deco interior of the 1930s.
The printer is easy to install. The toner cartridge slides directly into its slot in the machine, clicking into place immediately. The input paper tray, which opens with the press of a small button, holds 100 sheets.
I tried the printer with a Mac. The computer recognized the printer immediately after installing it. The quiet printer produced about 17 pages a minute.
If aesthetics are of no concern, for the same $200 you might consider another brand of laser printer, like the Brother HL-5240. It is far bulkier than the Samsung, but the standard input tray holds 250 pages, and it prints 30 pages a minute. The toner (TN-550) costs about $50 online and yields about 3,500 pages, for a cost of 1.4 cents a page; the Samsung costs about 3.5 cents a page.
